The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Monday that the singer Yusuf Islam is releasing a song aimed at raising money for UNRWA and the Save the Children charity to be used to help children and families in the Gaza Strip. Yusuf, a British singer and songwriter formerly known as Cat Stevens, is releasing a song called “The day the world gets around” which was originally recorded by Beatles guitarist George Harrison. All proceeds will be donated to UNWRA and Save the Children. In a statement, UNRWA said Yusuf hopes the song will “help remind people of the immense legacy of love, peace and happiness we can share when we get round to looking at mankind's futile wars and prejudice's and change our foolish ways.” Meanwhile, the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday that all government and UNRWA schools opened on Saturday January 24. OCHA reported an 80 percent pupil attendance in government schools and an 89 percent pupil attendance in UNRWA schools as well as a 99 percent teacher attendance. UNRWA is responsible for the education of some 200,000 children in Gaza.
